Who To Vote For?

 

It was standing room only Tuesday night at the Heritage Inn as all four candidates in the Palliser riding took part in a forum hosted by the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce.

Candidates had a chance to make an opening statement, they took questions from the audience and then made closing remarks on why they would make a good member of parliament for the voters of Palliser.

Running for the Green Party is Larissa Shasko and she spent the majority of the night talking about how Canada can still be a world leader by embracing green technology as part of the economy saying green jobs are the future.
She also talked about how our federal government needs to step back and take a better look at what they are supposed to be doing for taxpayers. "Individuals need to be supported in making changes and those who cannot afford to, need government support. We're talking about the future."

Liberal Russell Collicott was on the offensive most of the night, pointing out why platforms and policies announced by other parties won't work. In his closing remarks he asked voters to evaluate the promises being made. "It really comes down to a choice of a Conservative economy which benefits, generally the top end... or the Liberal economy which is what I feel is a more balanced approach."

"The NDP would be a broke economy", continued Collicott. "And Larissa, we're an energy super power so lets deal with it. We would have no economy. It's real simple."

Throughout the night, Conservative incumbent Ray Boughen and the NDP's Noah Evanchuk traded little jabs at each other but, for the most part, stuck to their party platforms.

Evanchuk maintained that this election is not a two horse race and Canadians do have a choice other than the Conservatives or the Liberals. He suggested the NDP have a plan to fix the problems in Ottawa, problems that even a four year old can see by simply watching the news. "My daughter is fascinated by the name calling and the yelling and the shouting. My daughter leaned over to me, tugged on my arm and said 'Those angry men need a time out.' Let's put people first, let's put honesty and integrity and ethics back in the political process."

Being the incumbent in this election, Boughen has been campaigning on the Conservative track record. He pointed out all of the jobs that have been created across the country with financial support from his party including Thunder Creek Pork and the new transportation hub on the west side of Regina that will create 800 jobs when fully operational, both in the Palliser riding.

As the night came to an end, Boughen highlighted the fact that he believes that for Palliser to have a strong voice in Ottawa, the riding needs a representative that's a member of the government, not the opposition. "How can they deliver if they are not a part of the governing party? How can they deliver if they do not have a working relationship with the provincial government? I have a strong voice in the Saskatchewan and national Conservative caucus. I have also developed a good working relationship with the Saskatchewan Party caucus members in the riding."

One thing all candidates agreed on was that everyone eligible to vote, should vote on May 2nd. With just under a week left in the campaign, candidates will be hitting the streets hard as they drum up support.